Winter Solstice
by FlashDriver
Summary: Snow falls in the Sol Dimension! Silver and Blaze are experiencing the first winter since they've reunited and regained their memories. Naturally, they'll do their best to help the other enjoy the season. A story told through connected oneshots utilising various winter tropes and themes! Blatant Silvaze throughout. Point of view will switch back and forth after each one-shot.
1. Winter Aesthetics

Icy winds were beginning to rake across Southern Island; the chill desecrated plants with barbs of frost and froze the morning dew to hang like claws on the edge of windowsills. The island's metamorphosis underway; the sky had turned black well before the clock struck five, winter was well on its way to manifesting. The princess could see the cold in her own breath, even if she couldn't feel it on her skin. Of course, the changes weren't limited merely to nature; above the roofs of her citizen's homes Blaze watched plumes of black-grey smoke rise to mingle with the starlight, grit salt crunched beneath her feet as she walked and took in the festive decorations that surrounded her. Neon lights sat in store windows and hung from lampposts, depictions of snowmen predated the snowfall, varying greatly in scale, and the colours of red, green and gold had become unavoidable.

Of course, these changes weren't bad; she was simply seeing them in a new light. A few months ago she'd regained memories of a time that'd been erased, where she'd lived in another world and fought burning monsters to heal a long destroyed world, and, with that recollection, an improved appreciation for her surroundings. As the feline took in those sights she felt justified in the tinge of excitement and nostalgia welling within her. Not justified enough to grin when looking upon such things; but then the person she was going to visit, to deliver a gift, most certainly would. His smile absolutely warranted her own, while remembering had renewed the way Blaze saw this world he would be experiencing it for the first time.

Some of their last moments together had been spent in a snowy place but at that time they'd been much too focused on achieving their goal, not a moment to hesitate and take in their surroundings. But here in the Sol Dimension, while there was, of course, the risk of pirate attacks, the danger to both the world and their lives was far less imminent. He'd be able to fully invest himself in the season and Blaze desperately wanted to share in that experience. The presents she carried with her was the first step toward that, she just hoped she'd taken his measurements correctly. Her grip tightened around the handle of the large paper bag as she continued to push forward.

Breaking free of the island's, admittedly small, urban sprawl the cat had arrived on the eastern beach. Just before the horizon and just beyond the reach of high tide she could see a ramshackle hut, made mostly of driftwood and scrap metal, her destination. Two long wires, gleaming in the moonlight, ran from the hut toward the sea; the home's main source of power was tidal energy. Curiously no smoke was puffing from the home's small chimney despite the chill being strong enough to brittle the sand beneath her feet. As she paced she stared out to the ocean; she could see clouds occasionally smother the far-off starlight. It appeared tomorrow's forecast of snow would prove true, that was all the more reason to deliver this gift tonight. She'd pick up the pace at that thought but upon her arrival, she hesitated in the doorway. She could hear the sound of voices inside though over them the sound of something being hammered, likely by the raccoon whose home he'd taken up residence in. The warm, orange, light spilling from her friends' home illuminated the surrounding sands.

Blaze's inner thoughts were suddenly obstructing her. Was this weird? It wasn't like she hadn't bought things for him before, it wasn't like he had money to spend himself, but those hadn't been gifts like this; they'd been food and drink rather than something material… something more permanent. She peered down into the bag; the gift was still neatly folded, just as she'd left it. It'd be foolish to come this far and turn back and even if she did what would she do with the present? Hide it? Burn it? Save it for when she had a spine? No. She had to do this now. Gritting her teeth the feline reached up a gloved hand and rapped at the whitewood door.

Immediately Blaze heard a shout over the sound of metal on metal. "Mate, you get the door; I'll keep workin' to fix her! I think I've almost got it!"

"If you're sure you can handle it Marine." Blaze felt tense but she'd hardened her resolve, this effort wouldn't go to waste. The door opened without even the sounding of a latch, a warm light glowed from the inside and silhouetted against it, standing in the doorway, was Silver. "Blaze! You should have just come in, how-

He'd paused mid-sentence, his eyes had widened and his mouth was hung slightly agape. He took a step towards her and, much to her surprise leaned, down… but not just down, he'd leaned in closer. His face was unbearably close, the cold-air mist from his breath very almost touching her. "You l-look really… uhm… eh…" His eyes clamped closed, for a moment only to pop open wide; "D-Did you get shorter? N-N-No, n-not that, wh-what I mean is… uhm… y-you look d-different." He caught himself again; "A-A good different! Like it's… you…eugh…" Did he really have to lean down? It wasn't as though there height difference was that significant, just a couple... maybe four inches when taking everything into account?

She tried to maintain eye contact, bearing her amber orbs to his shining yellow ones. "I-I''m wearing winter clothes Silver, I-

She cursed that stutter, looking away and raising the bag before herself; "I got you some too, s-seeing as the season's almost upon us-s. I came to give you them." Despite her explanation, she could still feel his eyes upon her; the light from his glowing symbols mixed cyan with orange at the corner of her eye.

To be fair her change in wardrobe had been rather dramatic, of her common clothes only her white gloves remained; everything else had been replaced. In leaning down he'd clearly noticed the absence of heels, replaced by heelless boots that were inner-lined with fur, and that her hair had dropped from its usual high ponytail; having been loosed it fell just past her shoulders, hanging rather flatly. Her white tights had been replaced with black ones, in fact, the colours of her entire outfit had changed. Her usual garb of royal purple and magenta had been swapped out for a long, a-line, coat coloured tan and soft pink. The tan colour coated the hem and cuffs of her jacket, as well as her boots, while soft pink made up the majority of that coat's material. The buttons of the coat, crafted to look like small bows, had a colour best described as a strong red that verged on a shade of pink.

He'd been about to take the bag only for a groan to sound from within the cabin. The hammering had suddenly stopped. "Mate, she's your Shelia, you should've said she looks great rather than just good and different! Honestly, she comes all the way out here to-

"M-Marine, please!" He cut her off, even cast in shadow and cyan light his blush was obvious. Blaze quickly tore her gaze from him in an attempt to lessen her colouring… only for him to keep speaking and deepen it. "B-But she's um… you… i-it's very p-pre…" Silver's head shook, quills jostling with him, "You… look very pr-pretty. I… um… i-it's nice seeing you w-with your hair down. It looks… uhm… w-wonder- Y-You look wonderful!"

"That's more like it mate!" The raccoon called out, another foolish attempt to encourage. Blaze, glowing both with warmth and embarrassment, opted to stare at her feet and continue to hold the bag out rather than reprimand Marine or give him a response. Her initial sheepishness at giving the gift had been compounded with first their height difference, of which his close proximity had been a byproduct, and now a compliment coupled with the heckling of a young girl. To be honest, Blaze hadn't heard much praise of her appearance, especially not praise so juvenile yet genuine. The compliments she was usually paid were capped or preceded with Your Highness or Your Majesty or something of that ilk, it felt like the world was spinning.

"Sh-Shouldn't you be fixing the boiler Marine? We're… um… Blaze and I…" He'd stated to Marine rather taking the bag… would he please just take the bag? Blaze could feel herself growing hotter and hotter.

She wouldn't let him finish though, taking advantage of his stuttering she shouted; "I'm a shipwright, not a plumber! You shouldn't count on me to look after water, I'm used to keepin' it out!"

With a sudden bout of confusion, the redness faded from his cheeks. "But didn't you make that boiler?"

The hammering resumed as the young girl took a huffy tone, "That's beside the point! Making somethin' and fixin' it is totally different. If I had the stuff to make a new boiler I would, that'd be way easier!"

"S-Silver…" Blaze, managing to break through her embarrassment, met with his eyes once again. "If it's cold in there these will help, a-at least until it's fixed. I thought that, seeing as this is your first time experiencing winter, you might want to…" She took a deep breath, "I thought that you might want to experience it to the fullest. I've managed to procure some additional time off this season so perhaps we could spend it together?"

Finally, he took the bag from her grasp, his blush replaced with a broad smile. "I'd love to spend it with you!" Did he have to use that word, so soon after leaning in close? Had he forgotten already? So naive! "I've not seen snow with these eyes yet and there are lots of traditions, right? I've read about a few but actually doing them would be wonderful!" There was the happiness she'd expected, she couldn't help but smile a little as he did. The over the top gestures he performed only made her grin grow gesturing wildly all the while. "I've never even worn clothes before, this is a great way to start! Come on in, I'll put them on!"

Blaze hesitated. She'd intended to deliver the clothes, offer to spend time with him, and leave. Did she want to see him in them so soon? If it did snow tomorrow she would undoubtedly see him all dressed up but-

The hammering briefly paused. "Mate, come on, you've got to be freezing out there! Come freeze inside with us!"

Her smile fading the cat rolled her eyes before stepping indoors, door swinging closed behind her. The hut had changed a lot since Silver had arrived; the hedgehog's psychokinesis and the raccoon's ingenuity made a powerful creative combination. Silver could move materials with ease and with his psychic knives cut them down for Marine's use; be it wood, metal or rock. The house's most notable change was that it'd quadrupled in size, this allowed them to have individual bedrooms (rather than bunkbed style hammocks) and a shared kitchen/living space. Despite that some things remained the same, this house was owned by a disorganised little girl and a man who'd never really had a home so, of course, it was messy; books, bits of metal and wood, tools and pirate paraphernalia littered almost every surface. Fortunately, the kitchen area was remarkably clean; Silver often cooked for the three of them and clearly, Blaze's chiding of his station had taken some effect.

Turning from her surroundings to Silver she found he'd pulled the garbs from the bag, grinning widely as he looked upon them; thus reigniting the princess' grin. He'd been intent on slipping them on there and then, only for a shout to stop him in his tracks. "Ew! You shouldn't be getting' dressed and undressed around folks mate, I know you're new to clothes but still! You shouldn't be gettin' dressed so publicly. Go do it in your room ya weirdo!" Blaze turned to the raccoon only to find a, rather convincing, look of mock disgust on her face. What was she doing? There was no reason he couldn't get dress-

"Oh, s-sorry! Yeah, I've never really… alright, I'll go!" Before Blaze could understand what Marine was doing Silver had ducked into her bedroom, when she looked back to the young girl there was a broad grin on the girl's face.

The shipwright pulled away from the boiler, bounding up to the princess and posing as innocently as she could; hands held behind her back and head slightly tilted. "So mate… you technically just asked him on as many winter dates as you want, didn't you?" She pulled in even closer, "Strewth, well done!"

"Marine, stop it. Right now." Blaze bore down on the Raccoon with her sharp amber eyes but, surprisingly, the glare had no effect.

"Mate, he's only a door away, might want to keep your voice down." The attempt to appear innocent had quickly turned devilish, that toothy grin was looking far more devious. "Did you really ask for time off just for dating?"

Blaze's teeth grit but through them, she spoke; "Things always slow down for the winter months, festival planning is complete and next year's budget is already approved. Besides, some time off still means I'm working every day even if it's only for a handful of hours and I'll constantly have the emeralds on my person. It's not really a break." The princess sighed, "And of course if something does come up I'm to rush back to the palace as promptly as possible."

"Aww," Marine cooed, her smile faltering. "When you said that I really thought you were gettin' a proper break, well at least you're spendin' what little you've got on smoochin'." Her head lowered, "Could you… um…" Her devilish smirk returned, looking up to the princess, "You better help me fix the boiler or I'll tell Gardon you snogged him! That those clothes you got him are kissin' clothes!" Swallowing her anger and embarrassment Blaze looked over her, in the far corner of the room sat a large wood-burning boiler of Marine's own design (meaning it looked like a deathtrap but was likely highly effective). There was a gaping hole in its side. "…I might've tossed a test cannonball in there, j-just a small one"

On the floor in front of the boiler was a piece of sheet metal Marine had been working with a hammer, clearly trying to bend into the shape of the hole to then weld atop it. Rolling her eyes, she made one demand of the raccoon. "Ask properly, say please."

"I mean… I was gonna but with the situation, I thought I could…" The girl was looking away, fidgeting with her hands. Finally, she turned back to the princess. "Fiiine, please help me fix the boiler mate."

With a thought the tip of Blaze's right forefinger was alight, she raised the sheet to the gaping hole and in a single fluid motion soldered the metal in place. With a second movement, having increased the flame's temperature even further, she cut loose the excess metal and gently placed it down. The princess palmed the inside of the furnace, making sure it'd been properly sealed, before setting her forefinger flame upon the wood housed within the heater. Immediately it was set alight, she sealed the furnace door and snuffed her finger. "Just ask nicely the first time Marine, if you do I'll be more than willing to help you; I'm sure others would too."

"With the two of you together I could make some really good ships..." Marine tapped at her chin, having completely ignored Blaze's advice. "I wonder-

Silver's bedroom door opened, Marine's words fell on deaf ears as Blaze turned. This was… it was… certainly surprising seeing him in clothes, to say the very least, but to say more... well Blaze was struggling to find words. The princess felt her heart skip a beat; while she'd been radiating warmth before the fingertip she'd just lit suddenly reignited. She quickly snuffed it but in its place, she could feel redness had swept from her chin to her ears, w-was she sweating? She'd imagined what he might look like when she picked out the outfit but actually seeing him in it was a rather different experience. It was… it was almost too cute; the excited smile on his face and the dusting of red across his cheeks was only adding to the outfit's shockingly sweet effect.

Easiest to describe was the boots, at least when her eyes were upon them she didn't feel like she was melting. They were heavy brown walking boots with dark blue toecaps and a red inside; visible on the loose hanging tongue… though it was only loosely hanging because he'd clearly failed to tie his laces. Of course he had; he'd never had to tie shoes before, he'd probably never tied a knot in his life. Visible just behind that extended tongue was a pair of woollen cyan and red socks, the same colouration as the next part of the outfit; his flannel shirt… if she could only bring herself to look that high.

"Blaze?" And now he'd spoken so she'd have to look up, oh no. The tomato tinted princess felt an elbow in her side, a gift from Marine, and slowly found the nerve to meet his eye… only for him to immediately close them; a soft smile gracing his face. Tiny smatterings of red dotted his cheeks and the very tips of his ears, "I didn't know wearing clothes felt like this. I never want to take them off! They're so comfortable and warm." Blaze wasn't sure she could stand that. While she'd surely get better accustomed to seeing him like this the heat raging across her face felt like it'd never leave. His eyes opened as he continued, "Thank you so much, I-I really love them!"

As he gestured his gloved hands popped free of the zip-up fleece that topped the outfit, coloured a soft navy save for its cuffs, collar and hem; those exceptions were coloured an almost pinkish red… the same pinkish red as the buttons on her coat. Was that intentional? Had she done that subconsciously? She felt like she was on fire. The clothes themselves were embarrassing enough but the way he was wearing them? He hadn't bothered to button up the shirt, nor had he zipped up the jacket; his chest fur was pushing out from the gap, the fluff raised high enough up to brush the base of his muzzle. Realising she'd been staring at that spot in particular Blaze swallowed, turning away. "I-It's just a gift, but I'm glad you like it." This was far too much for her, she should have just given the bag over and left; at least she'd have delayed this!

"Are you alright Blaze? You've gone very red." Oh no, she could hear him drawing closer; "I know the flu's supposed to be more common at this time of year, do you need anything?" He'd been blushing since she'd arrived yet he had the gall to ask if she was overheating? What-

A pair of hands were placed atop her shoulders; lightning eyes locked with honey ones before closing, there was that damn height disparity again; she'd been forced to look up in order to meet them. He was leaning in, why was he leaning it, what was he-

Their foreheads met, he'd leant down and was pressing his head against the gem at the centre of her forehead. Her temperature had been high before but now it was soaring, her eyes darted across his face, down to that chest fur mere inches away. She felt her breath hitch. What was she supposed to do in this situation, what did she want to-

"You're really warm Blaze, I want to experience the season with you but if you're sick you shouldn't push yourself. I don't want you hurting yourself." Oh no, oh no no no; he'd gotten the wrong idea. But what could she tell him? That he was the reason she was boiling? That Marine had, not inaccurately, compared their future outings to dates? That it was probably going to snow tomorrow and she wanted to see him then? That he was too close and she thought she might explode? That he looked adorable?

"Um… I… S-S-Silver…it's just…you..." Why was her tongue failing her in the most vital of moments?! Why was she growing hotter and hot-

"Blaze fixed the boiler mate, can't you feel it? It's already swelterin' in here!" At the sound of a whining call from beside them, Silver pulled back a little. Quickly turning away Blaze found Marine lain on the ground, overdramatically dragging the back of her hand back and forth across her forehead. "It's boilin'! This is way worse than the cold, no wonder she's burnin' up!" It wasn't, Blaze might not have felt temperature like a normal person but she knew the house was still frigid. For a moment the young girl ceased her act, catching the princess' eyes in her own bright blue pools. There was a small smile on her lips; a look that conveyed the repaying of debt… was it for the boiler? Regardless the young raccoon resumed her lying; "It's so hot in here! And so quickly, I-I-I must be a way better plumber than I thought!"

"Oh, I guess didn't notice, I was already feeling so warm in these clothes." His hands dropped from her shoulders and head pulled away fully, no longer leaning down quite so much he smiled; light redness had returned to his face. "I'm that's all it is, I-I was really worried for a moment. I can't wait to spend winter with you!"

Again she couldn't help averting her gaze, staring back down to his untied boots. "L-Likewise…"


	2. First Snowfall

Bright golden eyes opened wide at the sound of fists pounding at a bedroom door. Silver slung his legs over the edge of the bed, pulling back the patchwork duvet, and forced the sleep out of his hazy eyes. It must have been early, light was only beginning to flicker through the curtains, his mouth was dry and his head still felt a little heavy. He grew a hand through his quills, grumbling a little as he fully returned to the world of the living; they'd been up so late last night making plans, he'd thought he might get to sleep in a little longer.

Regardless he rose, rolling cracks out of his shoulders, and opened the door… only to be assaulted by a blast of freezing air. A little past the chill and brightness stood Marine, though she wasn't the first thing to catch his eye. No the first thing to meet Silver's eyes, in a rather more literal sense, was a spinning ball of cold crunchiness that smacked him in that exact location. As he stumbled back, more in shock at the impact and cold than in pain, the Raccoon's guffawing filled his ears as she made her way into the room, "Way too easy mate, way too easy! I knew this was my best shot so I took it! You're gonna be on guard the whole day after that but at least I got a hit in!" By the sound alone it was clear she was bounding up and down; couldn't stand still having succeeded in her attempts.

Silver drew his hand from his eye, feeling the cold on his fingers his eyes were cast down only to find clumps of white powder… slowly turning to water. It almost stung to touch as he pushed his thumb into it, so incredibly cold, but as he scraped off more of the cold mass it clicked in his head. "I-It happened then, it snowed?! Already?!"

"Too right mate, there's not too much of it but it's still fallin' and what's there is the good stuff! Perfect for snowballs and snowmen and all sorts!" A wide grin burst onto the hedgehog's face, as he looked to the young raccoon he found this happiness was shared. As he and Blaze had yesterday Marine too had taken on winter clothing; garbed in mud-green wellingtons and thick woollen mittens, though the remainder of her outfit was crimson. She wore a heavy looking hoodie and baggy hiking trousers, when combined it made for a very warm looking outfit but her hat completed it. It was a brown bobble hat but, woven atop the brown was a layer woven to look like white icing and loose flapping holly leaves; a Christmas pudding hat! Over Silver's, sleep-laden, attempt at analysis Marine continued to shout; "There's not so much on the beach, the tide came in and washed it away, but the town looks incredible mate; and you should see the castle! Come on come on! I want to have a snowball fight!"

She grabbed at his arm, attempting to tug the hedgehog toward the cold, but he managed to dig his feet in; "I should get dressed first though, right Marine? That's a big part of this isn't it?!"

The young girl heaved a sigh, releasing him and darting into their living area; leaving patches of white snow with every step. "Fiiine, but I won't wait long! Hurry up, hurry up!" With a wave of his hand Silver closed the door, recalling it was gross to get dressed in front of someone, and turned to the clothes he had been gifted. His shirt and hoody had been neatly folded (well… folded to the best of his ability) and set atop his rickety driftwood desk, heavy brown boots atop them. With a wave of his hand, the pile was unfolded and the clothes spread into the air, the shoes shot off toward the roof, closely followed by the jumper until only the shirt was in front of him; hanging in the air before him. With another wave the shirt unfurled itself and gravitated toward him, slipping up his outstretched arm it rounded his shoulders before catching the second; with that, he was one third dressed. The boots dropped, thunking on the wooden ground before him, but the coat still hung high. Silver leapt into the air, the jumper slid onto his shoulders and over his arms; as he landed his feet slipped into socks and back into his boots. Finished!

He looked much too proud of himself, a wide grin stretched his face and the new warmth reddened his cheeks. Silver rushed to the doorway but with his first step, his left boot was left behind, in stepping back to retrieve it the right came off. Ah yes, for as good as this outfit was it seemed the boots were broken; they refused to stay on his feet and had these strange threads on the front of them, threads he had no idea what to do with. Well if he couldn't walk in them, Silver sheathed his feet, thin teal aura coating his person as he (boots included) lifted off the ground. Hovering no more than a foot in the air he shot through his bedroom door, over the living room mess, and out into the cold; with a wave of his hand the front door was closed and the internal latch fell into its locked position. He'd done this out of reflex though, unintentionally, as more than ninety per cent of his person was being overwhelmed by the world surrounding him. He'd only seen snow once in person and, at first, those memories replayed in his mind; how close it was to their separation… but just as a second snowball struck his cheek those memories were cast aside, while it was important to remember he wanted to make new memories in this place! Snowfall on the beach, how flecks of coldness took nest within his quills, the way winter chill tickled his exposed muzzle and made his breath vis-

A third snowball struck him, breaking up against his psychic shielding but peppering him with cold pebbles; "Come on mate! A moving target's harder to hit, more fun to wallop too!" His attention finally turned back to Marine, in her mittened hands the young raccoon was rapidly rearming herself with an orb of snow. Silver, not even certain it would work, brought his glowing hands together. Snow was torn from sand but this first grasp was imperfect, making a malformed hunk of snow in the hedgehog's grasp rather than a smooth sphere like Marine was craft-

"Four strikes! Mate, I've seen you fight; are you holding back or something? This is a snowball fight, it's serious business!" Silver wasn't paying attention to Marine's words though; instead, he was fully focussed on the mass floating before him, each time he brought his hands together it grew more and more spherical until eventually…

His right hand raised, he shot higher into the air, "Alright Marine! Take this!" With a pointed gesture the frozen meteor, bigger than his head, began to race toward the little girl.

Even before the snowball made contact Silver realised he had, maybe, got a little too into this. The white orb spun as it escaped his psychic grasp, tumbling toward earth backed not only by gravity but his own throwing prowess… of course, he hadn't put everything into it but that didn't stop it shattering on impact and knocking Marine flat on her back; legs shooting up behind her.

Immediately Silver shot down next to her, boots crunching on earth as he rapidly uncovered the poor girl's face, "Marine?! Marine are you okay?" Before he could fully uncover her face the raccoon had sat straight up.

She was, incredibly reassuringly to the hedgehog, beaming even if much of her face was still plastered in ice. "I don't care if she's your lover mate, when we all have a big snowball fight you're on my side. You might be slow but when you get going you pack a real punch, Blaze's powers are probably rubbish for snowball fights but you…" Marine held her finger directly in the hedgehog's face but, due to her mittens, it looked like she was half threatening to punch him; "We're going to beat everyone else in town, won't even need more than the two of us; the whole coconut crew will be runnin' scared!"

He continued to brush snow off of her, face twisted into an awkward grimace. "We'll see Marine." Her face fully uncovered he helped her to her feet, allowing her to dust the rest off, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Hmm…well…" Silver had come to know the look Marine now wore, gripping one arm and looking quite sorry for herself. She dramatically turned to look up at him with her largest eyes, a pout on her lips, "My legs do feel a little wobbly, can I get a piggyback?" Well, she'd made worse requests with that face; staying up till the twilight hours and ice cream for breakfast. He returned to the air but brought in his knees, lowering himself so that she could clamber on, immediately he felt a pair of hands on his long back quills and her legs kick past his sides. "Alright! Let's go! To the castle steed, I must meet with the princess!"

He wouldn't argue with her chosen words as realisation struck him, Blaze was an early riser but it was still rather early… perhaps she hadn't awakened yet! They could surprise her with this new snow, hopefully, she wasn't busy today; this was the first snow, they had to do something! Even if it was just a little walk or watching it fall from her window, he wanted to spend this moment with her!

Marine whooped as they ascended, the pair receiving a cowl of snow as they reached a height of around thirty meters, before suddenly they shot off; racing in the direction of the palace. Though the palace, in all its frost-coated splendour, could be seen ahead Silver found his eyes drawn to the streets beneath them. As he dodged and weaved around smoke plumes, rising from chimneys rather than burning buildings, he saw all manner of things. Children playing in the snow as he and Marine had, not only tossing snowballs at one another but rolling the snow to form makeshift figures with carrots for noses and sticks for arms, whole families had gathered in gardens to experience the season, elderly couples clung to each other to avoid slipping while younger pairs sipped steaming drinks… this was wonderful!

Holding on tight to Marine's legs he allowed himself a joyous flourish, spinning right as he picked up speed. Rather than being surprised the raccoon on his back urged this on, yipping and calling out faster as they rocketed over the gardens and toward the palace. Had Blaze had experienced things like that before? He couldn't see her doing so alone certainly; well then he'd just have to take the lead! That would be-

"Silver come down here at once!" Coming to a sudden halt, Marine clattering against the back of his head, Silver looked down only to find a familiar Koala (garbed in his usual blue hat and shirt, sword at his side) shivering and staring up to him from the palace gardens. "You can't keep flying into the princess' bedroom, especially not at such an awful morning hour! Do you even know what time it is?"

Silver began to lower himself, prepared to talk to Gardon, only to feel Marine fumbling around behind him. Quite suddenly a snowball rocketed across his line of sight; striking the elder guardsman square in the forehead. Marine had collected the sizable snowfall they'd caught and dealt him a direct hit, without hesitation she shouted; "Go, mate, go! While he's distracted, grab your Sheila and we'll bounce!"

Unfortunately, having known the koala for quite some time now, Silver knew that if he did he'd be receiving a second-hand earful from Blaze… he'd rather they both not endure a scolding. Meeting the ground with a crunch, taking in the wilted and frozen royal gardens, Gardon made his approach; snow fully cleared from his brow. Marine meanwhile had dropped from Silver's shoulders and was, rather poorly, hiding behind the hedgehog. Standing before Silver Gardon stood to full attention, his beady eyes like daggers as they tore across Silver's frame. "So that's where those clothes went, I assumed as much. While it's true the princess has the majority of today off she was out until late last night and surely needs her rest… I have no doubts you two are responsible for that."

Again, before Silver could act, Marine took point; her head popping out from behind the grey hedgehog; "Just because you're her dad doesn't mean you can keep her from her boyfriend Gardon, it's true love; can't you see that?! Boo, bad dad, boo!"

Immediately Silver felt himself redden, turning back to the Raccoon, "Blaze and I-

"I-I'm not that kind of guardian Marine, you know that! L-Looking after her is my duty, not my responsibility." Looking to the Raccoon, while there was no blush, Silver couldn't tell if that was sweat on his forehead or dampness from the snow. His eyes didn't look as sharp as they had a moment ago, his shivering has ceased entirely, "I server the crown, the defender of the sol emeralds, and nothing m-more… a-and that includes letting her sleep!"

"Who're you tryin' to convince?" Marine had seemingly regained her confidence, now standing in front of Silver (who was quite glad the spotlight had been taken off of him for once). "It's weird seein' you all nervous Gardon, usually you're all professional. Are you scared your little girl is growin' up? Daaaw, don't worry I'm sure you'll have plenty of grandkids to fuss over soon."

Feeling the world drastically warm Silver had to butt in, "W-We're not, Marine i-it's not like that! I've told you before, I wou-

"Yeah yeah; you would love to date her and give her big smooches, you're just too much of a coward right now. Both of you are, but over this winter and all of your dates, I'm sure things the two of you will come to terms with your feelings and just kiss… like a lot." She was clearly having far too much fun with this, "Then Gardon'll be your father in law!"

His awkward look turned to a deep frown, breaking from his attentive stance in his frustration. "Now look here young lady, I-

Their argument was interrupted by a pair of double doors swinging open, "I see I was not mistaken in overhearing voices, I'd expected you to come to my window Silver." Blaze had arrived, dressed in her winter clothes. If he somehow hadn't been blushing before he would be now, the outfit was exactly as he remembered but seeing how the snow fell upon it and how she looked in the snow… it spread a warmth through his chest beyond even the comfy clothing she'd given him. "Good morning Marine, I hope you weren't giving Gardon any trouble… and likewise, I hope Gardon wasn't giving you any trouble?"

Immediately Gardon was back at attention, his cool and professional head mostly prevailing over prior embarrassment. He took a deep bow. "My apologies your highness, I assumed you were still taking rest. I hope this petty squabble did not awaken you? I apologies most thoroughly for my part in it, I should not have allowed Marine to goad me in such a manner." Despite this shift, as he rose, sweat was clear on his brow.

"It's fine," a glare thrice as sharp as Gardon's was turned on Marine, "I know how she can be. We'll be leaving immediately, she'll be out of your hair and you can take a well-earned break; you must be freezing in your uniform."

"It's nothing I cannot handle but… if that's what you wish, are you sure I won't be required?" Even as he said that the Raccoon had returned to shivering, Marine's snowball likely hadn't helped the elderly koala stave off the cold.

"I've got the sol emeralds on my person and besides Silver is with me, that should be more than enough protection for them. Put the evening's paperwork in the library and take the day off, I won't have you freezing."

"Aww, she does care for her dad," Marine mumbled, having ducked back behind the hedgehog.

"As you command your majesty…" The koala's brows furrowed for a moment but he quickly shook whatever the look meant off, "Do enjoy yourself today. It is wonderful that you've made such a close companion. Please excuse me." And with a final bow, he vanished behind the palace doors.

"Well, I best be off too mates, don't need a third wheel on the first of your winter dates after all, besides I'm pretty sure I saw a good snowball fight on the way over. Don't burn his tongue too badly Blaze!" And, before either of them could complain, the raccoon was bounding her way through the snow; surely smiling all the while.

It took a moment but eventually Silver mustered the courage to speak up, turning to his partner, "S-So… do you want to go for a walk or… the town looked-

In taking a step toward her Silver's shoe had come out of his boot once more, he jumped as his left sock met with the icy ground. He planted his foot back in the shoe but, by the time he'd done so, Blaze was muffling a laugh. "Yes, let's go for a walk."


	3. Lavishing Warmth

Among her public Blaze tended to her emotions as one would consume a selection box during a lecture, secretly, so as not to alert the lecturer, and blindly, so as to remain focused and maintain the aforementioned guise. Blaze often hid not only her displeasure as negative emotions snuck upon her but pleasure too, lest people read too deeply into her emotions. This resulted in what Marine referred to as her princess face, a professional face that was as neutral as she could stand to keep it; no grimacing at bad emotional flavours and no smiling at the positive. Of course, though this steely guise could be cracked away if the pressure built too high and she could drop it at her own discretion… but more often than not that was too embarrassing to do. Her cat-like traits, coupled with her flames, amplified her expressive responses far beyond what was regular, let alone what was acceptable for a princess in public. Her body forced her to deal in absolutes; zero response or a clear response, responses that might lead rumours to spread. Silver though, as she knew him, couldn't hide his emotions; through his loudness or otherwise, he always wore them openly. Of course, it was naïve to show such strong emotion so plainly in public, even for a non-royal in public, but…

The two were walking side by side, a bristly crunch underfoot but snow had stopped falling. While the scenery surrounding them was idyllic, not a rooftop without snow and icicles hanging from every windowsill, the city was incredibly busy. The snowy streets were topped with koalas of every shape, most commonly shorter than her with of course some key exceptions. Children were running this way and that, pulling parents clearly annoyed by the cold and accustomed to the winter sights, while young adults made their own fun peppering each other with snowballs, generally being loud and rowdy. One young couple sat sipping hot chocolate, an elder pair slowly shuffled down the street; arm in arm and eyes locked upon each other. While these were sights she'd seen before, and before this year she'd likely have treated it as those parents, she'd been granted new excitement by remembering a past without them. Every sight and every action now stood in stark contrast from her time in crisis city; from what was natural, the cold air and the snow on the ground, to what was personal. But then a defining aspect of that last thought was keeping her face stony despite the warmth this was bringing her.

Every single person they passed not only recognised her but knew her by name, position and temperament. Not all of them actively acknowledged her but a good quarter or so did. The elderly couple took off their hats in pause to pay respect and often the younger of the population either tugged at their parents to show them or were tugged at by their parents to be shown. It was another bizarre contrast against her first life, one she enjoyed far less though at least her curse was more feared than reviled here. And, well, she had her newly established constant by her side. Even if she couldn't find the will to smile beneath the strain of their stares he was doubly making up for her, with every new sight came a grin and a light in his bright yellow eyes; often tossed to her after being flung at the source of his excitement. The hedgehog would point out and embrace sights she would have thought mundane a few months ago; houses' coloured doors contrasting against stonework coated white, snowmen gathering at bus stops and bird's footprints, perfectly preserved in the snow.

He was making it especially hard to maintain her façade, every time she met those shining eyes it would chip away at her stony guise. Blaze thought that maybe if she took his hand her reliance would be reinvigorated, she'd be subtly giving in to herself and in doing it allow herself to express her emotions in a way less extreme than her common reactions. It was a rather elaborate way to justify her want to take his hand but she knew that, even if she was trying her best to ignore it. She wanted to warm him against this cold weather and to be warmed by his grasp, this was the season best suited to sharing her power; she didn't want it to slip away. If she'd kept the clothes from him, just for a couple days longer, then she wouldn't be having this internal struggle. Blaze did internally scold herself for that thought, though that only drove her steely face closer to the cracking point. It wasn't that she couldn't do it because of his clothes! Well, at least, not mostly; it was because other people were watching! Marine, Amy and (assumedly) Gardon were enough, for citizens to know that she-

She felt heat in her face, her eyes shot down to her boots. With a rise in temperature her breath had become far more visible, to her it looked like fully fledged clouds were leaving her mouth but she reasoned her interpretation was being amplified by embarrassment. What wasn't being amplified was the melting of snow beneath her, the pavement surrounding her drying to the bone. The princess maintained her pace for a moment longer only to collide with something... someone. Fortunately (or perhaps, unfortunately) it was indeed Silver, as she raised her head she found he'd turned to her and was leaning in; his longer nose almost touching hers. Did he have to lean down? "Blaze, are you okay? Are you sure you don't have a fever? You've been red since we got into town but you just got even redder."

So her guise hadn't worked as well as she'd thought. "I'm fine it's just… I'm really enjoying this but I have a princess's reputation to uphold. A-And well… there are a lot of people looking at looking at us and they might think that this is some sort of…" Marine's jests ran in the cat's head, she felt herself grow warmer still, unable to fully break away she locked her eyes on his chest fur. "…D-Date." With that, her eyes locked back to her feet, his now in view… the ground surrounding them had become bone dry. She regretted her choice of words; it wasn't as though she considered this a date… but equally, she didn't consider it not a date. They'd failed to make it clear; this outing lay in some phantom space between being a date and not being a date. Blaze tried to better what she said, "N-Not that there's… n-not that I wouldn't consider… it's just…" Her face, her tongue and her mind were out of synch. She'd kept up barriers for so long, she was struggling to pull down her walls as they crumbled in on her. She felt like she was going to say too much or too little; make it seem like she wasn't interested or reveal she was before she was ready to. "I-It's more that word will spread about it than… th-there being a problem with it?"

When she built up the capacity to look him in the eye Blaze found he couldn't meet hers, his complexion matching her envisioned own. His right hand was fumbling with his chest fur, eyes locked on his wrist or the ground passed it, reddened cheeks holding back a steamy breath. As he spoke it was unleashed, almost entirely obscuring him; "O-Oh, sh-should we g-get out of town? I past some hills on the way t-to the castle; they l-looked pretty. Th-There'd be fewer p-people there, r-right?"

She could feel the eyes upon them; even discounting her status and their abnormal appearances they'd been standing in the middle of a crowded street for much too long. Her eyes meeting his through their visible breath she managed to nod, "Yes, let's… let's go." Able to breathe a sigh of relief she turned only to find her senses had been correct, a sea of beady black eyes was upon them; koalas stood just beyond the radius she had melted. Blaze steadied herself as best she could, forcing her tail to wrap around her waist lest it flit wildly and giving a stern nod to the small crowd as she forced herself ahead; Silver's footfalls behind her rather than beside her. She couldn't help feeling he might have got the wrong impression, that thought came from a place of paranoia but it didn't prevent it spreading. The strange state these maybe-dates existed in was taking a toll on her far greater than if they were explicitly one or the other. Blaze hoped an opportunity would appear soon, she'd keep searching for an excuse to take his hand.

Exiting the city westward the sight was wonderful, outside the perimeter of the city the snow was just a little deeper and the wind a little stronger; carrying with it a sputtering of the slowly restarting snowfall. They weren't quite alone, a small family were taking turns sledging down the tallest of the hills, but they were alone enough. Once she decided they were far enough removed Blaze stopped and turned back to him. She saw the brightness and wonderment had returned and pushed embarrassment from his eyes. Clearly, he'd noticed the newly falling snow. Curiously though, eventually, his brow raised as his eyes met the ground ahead. Following them, she found a small gathering of snow angels.

"It looks like a bunch of people fell over here, was there an earthquake when I was in the air? Couldn't have been a big one." Ah, so either this wasn't shared between dimensions or he'd never heard of the practice.

"No Silver, they're snow angels. People lay down in the snow to make an imprint; moving their arms to create the angel's wings and legs to create a gown." She'd forgotten to mention it was more typically a children's practice, oh well.

"Oh, so it's a tradition then? I guess that makes sense, people throw snowballs and make snowmen, I bet there's tons of stuff people do with snow." There was a pause and, for a moment, he walked ahead; just beyond the current cluster of angels. With a resounding, "Well, better try it," he flopped face first into the snow. Blaze held back a snicker; perhaps her explanation should have been a little more in-depth. Well, this guaranteed he'd be primed for warming.

Before he could begin moving his arms Blaze called out; "You're meant to lie on your back Silver."

Utilising his psychokinesis he quickly flipped over, perfectly realigning himself with the crater, but she found his face thoroughly pinked. "R-Right, that makes more sense." Clumps of snow already hung from his chest fur and clung at various points of his body. Wearing his shirt and jacket open was going to bite him, but that would further justify her actions. He wasn't moving though, instead looking up at her. "Are you not going to…"

The princess scanned their surroundings once more, only that family were in eyeshot and they were clearly distracted. Blaze focused to reduce her body temperature, lest she melt the snow she'd be reshaping, and lowered herself beside him; just outside of his reach. As she did a thought dawned upon her. Alike how she now saw the world with renewed vigour there was an element of almost lost nostalgia to this, it was childish no doubt but if he had been reborn here as she was then they might have done this as children. Fourteen years was a lot of time to make up and while this was a childish step toward that she supposed it was still a step. Beginning to move it took a conscious effort to push against her heating reflex, especially due to the childish nature of the activity, but now free of this city she allowed herself a smile; especially as he cried out in shock.

"It's going up my back! I-Is it meant to go up my back? Is that part of the tradition!" Hearing his shuffling grow more frantic her grin grew further. "Am I doing it wrong? Is it meant to be this cold?"

"You're so naïve, just enjoy yourself; don't think so hard about it." Having said, as his movements did calm, Blaze couldn't help taking her own advice. This was childish, yes, but as flakes of snow cascaded onto her face, fluffy white clouds rolling above; she couldn't help but feel at peace. The zone fully smoothed out Blaze sat up, for once feeling the cold the edges of her limbs and back of her head were painted white. She got to her feet, turning to Silver she found him still going, though the zone he'd chosen was already flattened. It was difficult to tell, his fur blending well with the snow, but there couldn't be an inch of him without some smattering of snow. He did stop as she met her eye, taking her hand as she extended it to him; "I think we're done."

Stepping free of their imprints they were… certainly personalised. In the case of her own, there was a notable tail beneath the angle's right wing, Silver's meanwhile had been far more impacted, most notably by his quill shape. All five of his front quills had imprinted but the likeness of his back quills had been corrupted by his movement, almost creating a second set of wings behind the figure. He looked content with their creations though already he was shivering, now she could see patches of fur that were soaked to the skin. With a steamed breath Blaze allowed herself to reheat, his response was immediate; awkwardly stumbling as he was reminded of their grasp. Did it feel so natural to him that he'd forgotten?

"It's rare that I can find a will and place to use my power peacefully so, if you'll let me…" It was rather embarrassing but then it was always going to be when she'd first considered gifting him winter clothes this was one of the moments she'd sought. She led him back from their creations and then, with a thought, she raised the heat in her free hand, higher and higher until a thin layer of flickering flames began to lap from it. From that hand small embers began to trace across her body, dramatically raising her overall temperature, the snow and wetness were already beginning to steam from her. Before she could look to him for confirmation he'd stepped in closer, there was no hesitation. Blaze fully closed the distance, first gently pressing into his chest fur before tracing around his fluffy scruff and up into his quills.

He leaned down slightly; she felt his hand on her back and his head against hers as she worked her way through the cold wet mess. Though they were still in a rather public place, her guise lowered and her face obscured by his shoulder, the princess mouth curved into a fully fanged smile and her tail slowly looped around their waists. She felt her ears gently fold forward, only flickering straight when he finally spoke. "Th-Thank you… f-for all of this Blaze. I… umm…" Reaching the base of his right quill she began to trace up the left, their still held his but due to their closeness and them both clasping with right hands the grasp was raised between their chests. She couldn't see his face but she could imagine the pinkness as he continued stuttering his way into talking. "If you're e-ever uncomfortable, l-like earlier, j-just say; a-alright? I-I know it's my first time experiencing a-all this but please don't make yourself uncomfortable."

Blaze shook her head rather immediately, now reaching up to his front quills. "No, if you're going to stay here I need to handle our public appearances better. You're my partner, you being by my side should make me feel more comfortable rather than less." She pulled back slightly to get a better grasp of her work, from the shoulders down he appeared mostly dry save for his face. Feeling herself redden further she pressed a hand to his forehead before slowly tracing down to cup his cheek, warming it as gently as she could. His complexion was matching hers; he would meet her eyes only to quickly glance away over and over. When he had the strength to meet her stare she continued. "I need to better maintain my temperament rather than duck away." A thought from earlier crossed her mind and she felt herself warm further, perhaps a step too far, she pulled her hand away but focused to maintain the one that held his. "If I ever look… strained, please just take my hand. Hopefully, I'll be able to focus on that rather than whatever I'm thinking."

"B-But won't that make things worse? And won't people th-think we're… you know…" Blaze did but, to be honest, part of her enjoyed seeing him flustered like this. It was a little cruel but seeing him wear his embarrassment so plainly, failing to hide it, reminded her these feelings were normal. That and, while she didn't trust herself to read into it, it perhaps… suggested something. "D-Dating… l-like you said."

Feeling cooled she moved in again, gently warming the other side of his face. "I care about being comfortable beside you more than that." Marine's words rang in her head again, that she'd set these winter outings up as dates. While part of her still contested that these weren't explicitly dates a part of equal size wanted to make them explicitly that and a small but ever-growing section accepted that they basically were dates in all but name. These potential dates existed in a phantom space yes but that simply meant they could change what they were. "I'm more comfortable when my hand is in yours, I may still be flushed but I'm not stuttering am I?"

She felt his grip on her hand tighten; some sort of determination had steeled his gaze. "I-If that's what it takes then I'll do it! A-As long as y-you're certain it helps." There was the heart on his sleeve again; plainly embarrassed he'd forced his way through it by making a promise. So naïve. She realised she'd been lingering too long on his face but, due to her close proximity, he'd almost entirely dried. She traced her hand down his face and off of his cheek.

Snuffing her flames but maintaining some warmth Blaze eased her right hand from his grip to be replaced with the left, allowing them to better walk side by side. She'd got what she'd wanted, she'd warmed him and had her heart warmed by him. Blaze looked to the hill, the Koala family had left, without a word she began to lead the way, thoroughly warmed by his concern and the promise between them.


	4. Frigid Fear

As Winter trudged on Southern Island had grown colder, a week had passed the first snow and now much of populace were spending their days inside rather than out. The snow was falling thicker by the day; now layered higher than Silver's poorly tied boots and, if it continued, no more than two days from his knee. Despite the difficulties the weather posed, the chill beginning to bite through his clothes while ice coated the town's stone paths, the young man had been enjoying the season unhampered. Well, he had been, until during a day that the princess was away tending duties, A thought had crept into his mind.

Blaze was pyrokinetic, so did she feel the cold more or less? Most of their time together had been spent in crisis city, a place where feeling cold was a fantasy beyond understanding, in near their last moments together they'd been in the cold for less than an evening. He had no frame of reference, how well did Blaze handle the cold? Were her flames like a layer of shielding against or, because they were part of her, did the cold eat away at them and hurt her? Did it take a conscious effort to keep herself warm, was it tiring her out? Was her winter garb less a change of style and more a practical choice, her common clothes too thin for the winter months?

Silver's train of thought had concrete tracks; Blaze might have felt the cold far worse than any other yet she was making an active effort not only to go out but to keep him warm while they were out, taking his hand and sharing her body heat. He'd been such an idiot, how could he have been such an idiot? Throwing himself into the snow, making snow angels and going on long walks with her; was she bearing this burden because it was his first winter? Was she enduring it because he'd been having so much fun? He thought they'd both been enjoying it, while she'd heated him her smile had just about warmed him on its own, but there was every possibility that this was difficult for her. Intuiting her struggles had become a skill of his and this seemed like the kind of thing she'd try to hide; what she saw as a small struggle for a greater good.

With this small panic overcoming him, refusing to leave his thoughts, he'd asked Marine if Blaze could or did feel cold only to be met with a shrug and the words "Oh, I dunno mate, never really thought about it. I guess she might." That was all it had taken to push him from worrying into planning; the verbal equivalent of a shrug.

* * *

The sky was grey and the wind stung like needles, salted by drifting snow, but Silver was prepared. The hedgehog was awaiting his partner; clad in the clothes she'd gifted him but armed with the addition of a backpack, overlarge and threatening to burst. Southern Island wasn't particularly big and, having spent a good few days wandering it, they'd almost run out of places to see seasoned with winter aesthetics. This was the last real sight of note, a forest trail that encircled an (undoubtedly frozen) lake; both sides of the path flanked by thick conifers. Normally Silver would have lost himself in the sight, perhaps making a snow-angel or a snowman, but he was steeling himself as best he could. If he got cold then Blaze would try to warm him, potentially getting cold herself. This time he'd be keeping her warm, or, well, keeping her from getting cold. She'd put in so much work so that he could enjoy this first winter, it was really rare for her to get so much free time, and atop that, she might have been suffering? He hadn't even noticed, he'd been too caught up in her kind-hearted efforts, how could he have been so stupi-

"Silver?" The touch of a warm hand pulled him from his thoughts, Blaze; dressed in her winter garb, looking more than a touch confused. "I called out but you didn't seem to hear, is everything alright?"

"S-Sorry, I was just…" No, she was looking out for him again while she might've been suffering. He quickly turned to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Everything's fine, are you alright?"

The feline's confusion only seemed to grow, her brows furrowing, but coupled with it her cheeks had reddened; she was giving off far more heat. Were his hands that cold? Could she feel it even through two layers of clothes? Regardless she answered, "Yes? I'm fine Silver, though yesterday was tedious the work was important, nothing worth worrying over. They had me defrost some impacted areas, approved further funding to help manage the snow." Her hand shifted from his shoulder to the strap of his rucksack, "What's all this?"

"Well, you've done so much for me these past few days, and I've been enjoying myself so much, I felt like I should make it up to you. It's just picnic stuff; I did a little bit of cooking and got a couple of blankets. Seeing as this is the last spot on the island I figured we should make it special, that I'd do a more than normal." He was sure she wouldn't tell him, that she'd endure no matter what, even if he asked directly she'd probably shrug it away.

"Silver, I want to spend this season with you because I know it'll be fun for both of us. There's nothing to make up for, I've been thoroughly enjoying myself, but thank you." Blaze's confusion had melted away and, in its place, a gentle smile had formed; a look that spread gentle heat to his face. "This may be the last new sight but it's far from the last thing I've planned. When I said I wanted to spend the season with you I meant it."

Blaze gently removed her hand from his shoulder, reaching to her own and taking hold of his right hand. As their fingers interlocked Silver felt her warmth again, he knew she wasn't lying about enjoying herself but… if it meant she'd enjoy herself even just a little more he would do whatever it took.

He managed to smile back, gently squeezing her hand, "A-Alright. Shall we?"

Snow began to crunch underfoot, a sound he'd grown more than familiar with, as she led the way. While worry lingered in his mind it was more than a little difficult to pry his focus from their surroundings. As they took to the path the cutting wind was blocked by the treeline but its echoes remained; it wasn't snowing but flakes would tumble from the trees as gusts cast over them, revealing more of the green pines underneath. Signs of life were sparse but made all the difference; animals had left their footprints in town but out here they were uncorrupted by those of people, a line of fox paw prints ran parallel to their route and every so often birds had made an impact.

"None of this is natural, conifers don't really grow on an island like this." Blaze began, "As new islands were explored plants were gathered for the royal gardens, taken as a testament to the adventure. During one venture the queen fell in love with pine trees but they were much too big to reside in her garden; thus she had this route created."

"I can see why, it's incredi-

A chill ran up Silver's spine, causing him to stumble; some grave coldness had snuck into his boots. Initially, he assumed his laces had come undone, as they so often seemed to, but looking down he found the snow was halfway up his calf. The snow was getting deeper as the path sloped, he'd let himself get distracted! Judging by the snow no one had come out here, were they the first since the snow had started? Silver assumed it would have been thinner, the trees protecting the path, but it was so untraveled that it hadn't made a difference. He glanced down at Blaze's legs; she was shorter than him, the snow was even higher. He had to do something. The hedgehog stopped, the feline turned to him; her confused look had returned.

"Um…" What could he do? What could he do? Oh! "If we keep walking you'll get soaked, right? So I should carry you." Maybe, just maybe, he should have thought about that for a little longer. His feet might have been freezing but now his face was boiling, his gaze dropped from her face to their feet and began to tug at his chest fur. "A-And you know, hover; that way you won't get cold."

She hesitated and, for a moment, Silver thought he might have messed up. A few days ago Blaze had made it a point that heating him was one of the few ways she got to gently use her powers, but wet feet alone weren't enough to justify it, right? Just as he'd been about to apologise he felt her hand drop from his, she'd shuffled a little closer.

"I suppose… if you want to." Once again Silver felt a touch on his shoulder, her arm had wrapped behind his next. She was looking to the treeline; her temperature had raised again, tail swishing rather peculiarly.

Leaning down slightly Silver returned her hold, right arm around her shoulders while the left wrapped behind her knees. While she was light Silver, not being the most muscular of people, quickly utilised his psychokinesis to neutralise the burden; as his feet left the ground her weight shifted from his physical grasp to his mental one. It'd been a long time since he'd carried her like this, back when they were kids in crisis city it hadn't felt this… intimate. The way he held her hadn't changed but who they were and where they stood certainly had; cold feet weren't a matter of life and death.

As they began to move, hovering at much the same speed as they'd walked, Silver tried to keep his focus on their surroundings… but couldn't keep his mind from drifting. The smell of burned lavender, a combination of her power and an attempt to hide it, was rather overpowering him. Her body was stiff, "I-Is this position okay? A-Are you uncomfortable?"

Her head was turned away, looking to the road ahead and assumedly their surroundings, as he should have been. "No, I'm fine. Thank you, Silver."

When she'd spoken her temperature had spiked, was she keeping him warm even now? He could certainly feel her body heat, even outside contact points; his exposed muzzle, in particular, wasn't spared this touch-less caress. How intentional was it? Could he ask, should he ask? Given their position would his tongue let him ask? Probably not, he could hardly ask if she was comfortable. Besides, if she couldn't feel the cold she wouldn't have let him lift her, right?

It'd been a week but he still wasn't used to seeing her dressed like this, he couldn't pry his eyes from her. Her lack of heels reminded him he was taller, without her ponytail her ears looked so much more expressive and just… well… he'd thought it impossible but she somehow looked even prettier than normal. Seeing her like this, holding her like this, reminded him of things he could scarcely admit to himself let alone her. Things Marine more than often teased them about.

"Silver, aren't we getting a little high?" The hedgehog blinked, finally pulling his eyes from the feline, only to discover that they'd ascended.

He flinched a little, quickly apologising. "O-Oh, sorry, I let my mind get away from me, I'll lower us."

Before he could her grasp on him tightened, she'd shifted so eye met eye. "No, this is fine, any higher and we might have issues." There was no fear in her gaze, a small smile to her lips; just a little more and he'd see those fangs. "I know you won't drop me so there's nothing to fear, any higher and the clouds might block us." As she turned back, her grip loosening, he couldn't help but maintain a slightly closer hold. She was still so warm, could she be cold even now? His barrier was fending off the wind, unless snow was already in her shoes there was no way she could be cold. "The view is rather wonderful."

They were mingling with the treetops; a land of green and white lay beneath them. From the ground snow had lain upon tree but from up here it more appeared tree had snuck beneath snow; small patches of green poking out from beneath a blanketed landscape. From up here, he could see the central lake; as expected it had frozen. If he hadn't known there was a lake he might have missed it, a layer of snow covered its entirety (albeit in a thinner measure than the surrounding land) thus making it appear as an overlarge clearing rather than an obscured body of water. She was right, between the flora and geography it was truly unlike the rest of the island.

But his eyes were drifting; one moment he'd been admiring the view but the next find his eyes were back upon her. As he caught himself his face grew redder and his hands grew clammier, gloves would only offer so much protection.

"Y-Yeah." He pried his eyes from her, this wasn't working; she was still generating heat. He had to do it; he had to force himself to ask. "Blaze?"

Her ears pricked again, "Yes?"

"Do you…" Before he could finish she'd turned in his grasp, her own golden orbs had met his again. He faltered, rather than ask in specifics he simply stuttered out, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Silver." Blaze said that but her brow had grown stern, "Are you alright? Is something wrong?"

"N-No, I'm fine, I just need to know," A second opportunity! Heaving in an overlarge dose of icy air he found the will to ask; "Can you feel the cold?"

There was a pause, Blaze's eyes parted from his for just a moment before rolling. "You're so naïve, if you're cold you just have to tell me." Immediately her temperature rose, a dancing flame engulfed her forehead stone and she pulled herself tighter still against him. Blaze was once so uncomfortable with her power and (as she'd affirmed to him under a week ago) this was one of the few ways she could use it peacefully, one of the only ways she could use it kindly. How could he refuse this? He didn't want her to struggle but equally stopping this felt wrong, no matter how he tried he couldn't refuse her.

"Erm…uhh… Th-Thank you." He raised his legs to support her better, allowing her to heat his entire body but, as a result, essentially sitting her in his lap. If he couldn't ask properly then he had to do something else. With a thought his bag unbuckled, scrunching his nose as he focused and a flask managed to pull itself from the bag; coming to hover between them. "To return the favour, if you're going to keep me warm then I should do the same for you… r-right?"

He watched as she quickly plucked it from the air, sparing him the mental strain of unscrewing the cup-lid by releasing his shoulder and doing it herself. Immediately the scent of chicken and rosemary filled the air, steamy billows swirling free from the flask. He'd been cooking for a while now, living with Marine meant taking on a lot of new responsibilities and of them, it was probably his favourite. There weren't many hobbies one could have in a destroyed future so, gifted with somewhere safe to live, he'd rather enjoyed finding out what he found fun. So seeing the smile on her face as she poured herself a cup and took a sip warmed him in a way no fire but hers could.

"Thank you Silver, you've really improved since you arrived. It's wonderful." It was a blunt and genuine compliment.

He'd thought himself at the peak of being flustered, that there was no further height she could push him, but those simple words he could no longer maintain eye contact. Instead, his vision locked on the cup as he managed to mutter, "Th-Thank you, Blaze."

Her arm was back around her shoulders, "Do you want some?"

She must have followed his gaze, Silver stuttered out a response. "If that's okay, I did bring it for you after all."

"Nonsense, you made it; of course you can have some." He went to focus on the cup, to channel the soup directly from the mug to his mouth, only to feel her shift in his grasp.

Blaze had fully turned to him and, rather than let him take the mug or even the soup, she was holding the cup to his lips. She had to see his blush, had to feel the sweat on his palms, but he had to force himself through this. He opened his mouth and took a sip, he'd toiled and tinkered to get this right (subjecting Marine to far too many taste tests) and it'd paid off. It was creamy, the herbs neither overpowering nor too understated. Though he was more than warm the comfort food certainly helped. As his lips parted from the cup, still too embarrassed to meet her eye, he stuttered out a "Thank you."

It was only then, as she pulled the cup back towards herself, that a realisation dawned upon Silver. She hadn't wiped the cup before feeding him; they'd had an indirect ki-

Before the thought could properly process Blaze had taken a sip, her lips had landed the exact same place as his. They'd both had an indirect kiss, she hadn't even hesitated… but then he hadn't realised until afterwards. Maybe she would? But then what? Would they just awkwardly hang here in the air? Would they talk about it, could she stand to talk about it?

He felt his heart skip beat after beat as that cup lowered, eyes flickering between her and it. "You know Silver, I don't even feel the cold but this has thoroughly warmed me." Oh. So she didn't. So he'd got himself all worked up over nothing, as embarrassing as it was he couldn't help but feel relieved. He hadn't been obliviously hurting her; he'd simply been oblivious. Before he could thank her again she'd turned to him; releasing a fanged smile… but something was different. "Thank you so much."

Was…was that mischief in those amber orbs? Before he could question her expression she'd closed her eyes and taken another sip of her soup to mask whatever that expression was. Was there even any soup left in the cup?

Thoroughly overwhelmed Silver choked a response, "Y-Yeah, n-no problem."


End file.
